Dear Friends and Supporters,
When the pandemic first hit back in late February and early March, I was terrified. Of course I had the same concerns we all have for the safety of our community, our friends, and our loved ones, but more than that I was afraid for what the pandemic and our response to it would do to our mission. At the time it seemed entirely possible that Bird Ally X and all of our projects, including Humboldt Wildlife Care Center could be swept away in the tsunami of economic damage suffered bay our community as well as the overarching concern for human not wildlife health.
By July, after three months of skeleton staff pandemic protocols, HWCC was running on fumes. Our resources were dwindling rapidly as our caseload rocketed. With no volunteers helping us, our small but mighty crew took care of 25% more wild patients between May and August than in 2019, our busiest year to date. In all of California north of Santa Rosa we were the only facility still able to admit orphaned deer fawns. We provided four months of care to more fawns this year than any previous year.
But that wasn’t all 2020 had in store for Bird Ally X. The worst outbreak of avian botulism in over twenty years occurred in the Lower Klamath Wildlife Refuge just north of Shasta. For the last 3 years BAX has operated a field hospital on the Refuge to treat waterfowl and shorebirds impacted by avian botulism. 2020, however, was significantly worse than previous years with tens of thousands of birds killed by the early heat and dry conditions of this season. As with HWCC, our Lower Klamath field hospital was severely understaffed due to the circumstances imposed by COVID-19.
In the face of these challenges and in the midst of the pandemic, you came through for our wild neighbors. You made sure we could get through our difficult season! If you hadn’t we might to be here today. The support that you gave at the end of July did more than pay bills, it gave our staff the lift they needed to persevere. Thank you. The support you provided our botulism response on the Lower Klamath made possible the care of over 3000 ducks, sandpipers, stilts and more during the Summer outbreak.
And there’s no room to mention the fires of Autumn…
We don’t know what the future will bring, but we do know that we need to constantly rebuild ourselves more resilient, more adaptable, more ready to meet the challenge of a life on earth in which all bets are off. For now, please just accept our heartfelt gratitude for the help you gave us this year. We’re still here, thanks only to you.
Please enjoy a beautiful season of gratitude for the love and beauty that still fill our lives even as our world is rocked by troubles. And let’s all wish for each other a healthy and safe and better New Year.
In alliance with all that is wild and free and on behalf of the pandemic crew of Bird Ally X,
Monte
PLEASE DONATE TO SUPPORT OUR WORK
